Mobility work – just one more thing you’re supposed <\/em>to do.  But do you do it?  Like Calvin said in one of my favorite Calvin & Hobbes<\/em> cartoons: “Who’s got that kind of time?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I’ll argue that making time for mobility work is one of the best things you can do to FEEL young.  When you think of aging, what comes to mind?  For me it’s stiff, tight old people who teeter when they walk & can’t get out of a chair unassisted.  I’m on a mission to not be “that old person”!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly is mobility work?  It’s NOT stretching…although stretching is a part of mobility work.  Stretching (either active or passive) improves range of motion (ROM) around a joint.  In contrast, mobility incorporates how efficiently & efficiently multiple joints work together to produce coordinated motion patterns.  While both are important, I suggest that better mobility does more for your overall quality of life than does more stretching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take hips as an example.  Many of us are tight in our adductors (inner thigh muscles).  If we’re only working on flexibility, a Butterfly Stretch is great for improving inner thigh flexibility.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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